Shingle



United States Patent SHINGLE Herbert Abraham, New York, N. Y., assignor to The Ruberoid Co., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 8, 1955, Serial No. 492,890

2 Claims. (Cl. 108-7) This invention relates to a shingle, particularly to a flexible roofing strip-shingle of the kind commonly known as an asphalt shingle consisting of roofing felt saturated and surfaced with asphalt or other bituminous substances, and faced with mineral granules or the like on the outer or exposed surface.

One type of such shingles, which is extensively used, is called the square-butt shingle. When those shingles are laid they present rectangular exposed portions separated by vertical slots. An objection to that type of shingle is that the butts or exposed ends are generally free and so subject to the disadvantage that they may be raised by wind blowing up against the roof.

The exposed ends cannot be nailed down by nails driven through them as that would result in potential points of leakage. Accordingly, various proposals have been made to secure the ends with cement, metal fasteners that grip the ends, or in other ways. Use of auxiliary 2,841,099 'Patented July 1, 1958 ICC 16 to form an acute angled corner with said straight line, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As shown in the drawings, the right edge of the shingle has a horizontal slot 17 corresponding to and in alignment with the slot 14. The left end is indented by a rightangled shoulder 18. When any two shingles of a course are laid side by side the slot 17 of one, combined with fasteners or fastening means increases the cost of material and labor in applying the shingles.

An object of the invention is to overcome those objections by providing shingles of the square-butt type having self-contained butt locking means, which shingles may be easily and expeditiously applied in securely interlocked relation, and in such manner that no portion of the locking means will be visible in the slots between the exposed butt portions, or between adjacent shingles, of any course.

The form of the locking-tabs is such that when the shingles are laid in interlocked relation their butts or exposed portions will be resistant to being raised or lifted by winds of high velocities. Furthermore, by reason of the manner of interlockment and form of the locking-tab, should any of the butts be slightly raised by high winds they would be able to return or slide down to their initial flat position.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a shingle embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing two shingles as laid in interlocked relation in successive courses; and,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a modified form of locking-tab.

To facilitate handling and application I prefer to embody the invention in square-butt shingles of the dual form illustrated in which the butt section is divided by a slot to form two butt portions, but it may be incorporated in unit shingles or in strip-shingles having more than two butts or exposed portions.

The shingle comprises an approximately rectangular body 10 including two like butt portions 1111 each having a straight lower edge 12. The butts 11 constitute the square-butt exposed portions when the shingles are applied, and they are separated by the usual vertical slot 13. The upper or inner end of slot 13 terminates in a horizontal slot 14 the far end 15 of which is preferably curved downward toward the straight lower edge the indentation 18 of the other, together form a slot of the same dimensions and form as the slots 13 and 14. It is, of course, essential that when the shingles are laid side by side a vertical slot 13, and a horizontal slot such as 14, should be provided between them. While I have shown a shingle having a shoulder in one edge and a slot in the other to attain that result, it will be understood that the same end result may be attained in various other ways known to the art.

Extending downward from the lower end 12 of each square-butt portion 11 is a locking tab 19. The tabs are of substantially trapezoidal shape, each preferably having a snub nose 20 and two inclined sides 21 and 24. The inclined 21 edge forms an acute angled locking corner angle 22 with the lower edge 12 of the butt portion, which angle interlocks with the acute locking angle or corner 23 at the end of the horizontal slot 14 or 17. The neck 25 of the tab 19 is equal, or somewhat less, in width to the length of the lower edge 16 of the horizontal slot.

The modified form of locking-tab shown in Fig. 3 has a reentering angle 27 at the upper end of the inclined edge 21 which angle forms a point 28 below the lower edge 12 of the butt 1'1, and a locking-angle 22a for interlockment with an angle or corner 23, as described in the preceding paragraph. The spacing, considered vertically, between the point 28 and the lower edge 12 is only slightly greater than the thickness of the shingle material so as to accommodate insertion of the shingle material in that space with a snug fit, for the reason hereinafter explained.

In applying the shingles, the locking tabs 19 of those of each upper course are inserted into the openings 14 or 17 of the shingles of the next lower course. The shingles are then secured by driving nails into them at the positions indicated at 26 in Fig. 2. Ordinarily square-tab shingles are nailed above the vertical slots. However, I have found that with my interlocking type of shingle better wind resistance is attained by nailing them above the approximate center of the horizontal slots as indicated in the drawing. To facilitate such nailing, the

shingles may have indicia, such as marks, on the shingles or notches in the upper edge of the horizontal slots that indicate or point to the proper nailing positions.

When the shingles are laid the lower edges 16 of the slots 14 of the shingles of an'underlying course will register with the lower edges 12 of the shingles of the overlying course, as shown in Fig. 2. The inclined edges 21 of the locking tabs facilitate both insertion of the tabs in the slot as well as return of the edges 12 to their properly aligned positions in the event that the butts of any of the shingles should be slightly raised by wind. The inclined edge 24 of the tabs aifords an additional safeguard against any portion of the tab being visible in the vertical slots 13 even in the event that the butts of the shingles become slightly raised. The interlocking relationship of the shingles of each two courses is effectually secured by engagement of the locking corners 22 of the shingles of each upper course in the locking corners 23 of the shingles of the next lower course. With use of the modified form of locking tab shown in Fig. 3, lifting of the shingles by wind pressure is prevented or retarded by reason of engagement or contact of the point 28 of the tab with the rear surface of the underlying shingle immediately adjacent the horizontal slot in which the tab is locked.

Various modifications in the details herein illustrated vention as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. A locking shingle of the square-butt type comprising a body portion, a butt section having a straight edge and having a slot extending inwardl'y'frorn said straight edge and dividing the butt section into two butt portions separated by said slot, one of the butt portions having a slot extending transversely to the slot between the two but portions and opening at one end into said latter slot adjacent the inner end thereof, said transversely-extending slot having a straight edge at the side thereof adjacent the straight edge of the butt portion and an edge at the end thereof remote from the slot dividing the butt edges into two butt portions, which cooperates with said straight side of the slot to form a locking corner, a locking tab extending from the straight edge of each butt portion, said locking tab having an inclined edge extending at an acute angle to the straight edge of the butt portion, said inclined edge having a re-entrant angle, forming a pointed portion having the point thereof directed toward the straight edge of the butt section and spaced therefrom, said shingle being constructed and arranged to be laid in courses with like shingles and with the locking tabs of those shingles of each upper course inserted in the transversely-extending slots of the shingles of the next lower course with the locking tabs interlocked withrthe locking corner of the transversely-extending slot, and with the pointed portion formed by the re-entrant angle of the locking tab underlying the butt portion of a shingle of a lower course and on any tendency of the butt portion of the shingle to which the locking tab is attached to lift, functioning in the nature of a prong to engage the underside of the butt portion of the shingle of the lower course, to prevent such lifting.

2. A locking shingle of the square butt type comprising a body portion and a butt portion having a straight edge, a slot extending transversely in the same general direction as the straight edge of the butt portion and terminating with an open end at one side of the butt portion, the edge of the slot at the closed end and one of the adjacent sides forming a locking corner, a locking tab extending from the straight edge of the butt portion, said locking tab having an inclined edge extending at an acute angle to the straight edge of the butt portion, said inclined edge having a reentrant angle forming a portion having the free edge thereof directed towards the straight edge of the butt section and spaced therefrom, said shingle being constructed and arranged to be laid in courses with like shingles and with the locking tabs of those shingles of each upper course inserted in the transversely-extending slots of the shingles of the next lower course, with the locking tabs interlocked with the locking corner of the transversely-extending slots, and with the portion formed by the re-entrant angle of the locking tab underlying the butt portion of a shingle of a lower course, and on any tendency of the butt portion of the shingle to which the locking tab is attached to lift functioning to engage the underside of the butt portion of the shingle of the lower course to prevent such lifting.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,510,535 Abraham Oct. 7, 1924 2,187,139 Rowe Jan. 6, 1940 2,452,708 Abraham Nov. 2, 1948 2,533,364 Greider et al. Dec. 12, 1950 2,655,880 MacDonald Oct. 20, 1953 2,659,322 Abraham Nov. 17, 1953 2,801,599 Bordeaux Aug. 6, 1957 

